A SUCCESSIVE CLINICAL STORY ON GUILLAIN-BARRE SYNDROME UNDER THE LIGHT OF AYURVEDA: A CASE STUDY

Abstract

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a group of autoimmune syndromes comprising the disease's demyelinating and acute axonal degenerating forms. It is also an acute-onset, monophasic, immune-mediated polyneuropathy that often follows an antecedent infection. Here is an interesting case study where a 16-year-old girl with her parents reported to the outpatient department with the chief complaint of inability to walk without support, weakness in bilateral calf muscles, weakness in bilateral upper limbs and lower limbs and tingling sensation, pulling type of pain in the right ankle joint and also the heaviness of bilateral lower limbs, more in the morning. By examination, her sensory and motor systems showed impairment; one was hypotonic, proprioception was affected, and her gait was a high steppage gait. Her assessment was done by using Hughes GBS Disability Scale- 3/6. The patient’s nerve conduction study revealed severe motor and sensory axonal neuropathy in the upper and lower limbs. By seeing the nature of the disease and the patient's symptoms, we correlated with sarvanga vata according to our classics. Treatments were koshta shodhana (gut cleansing), abhyanga (massage of the whole body with medicated oil), Shastikashali panda sweda (Rubbing of medicated rice poultice over the body), basti (transrectal administration of medicines) and oral medicaments. Panchakarma treatments were for 30 days, followed by oral medications for the next 140 days. The intervention period of 154 days showed complete recovery of all the motor and sensory deficits; however, follow-up of the patient was maintained for 269 days, looking into the sustainability of the outcomes.